


(Can't Let You) Pass Me By

by ShippingEverything



Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater
Genre: Anna Is Marianna Wheelan, Anna is a lesbian, Casual Relationships - Freeform, DWSA Elements, F/F, Gen, Hanschen And Thea Are Siblings, Implied trans girl thea, Multi, My favorite kids, Only anna and melchior are white, Only nearly everyone is a poc, Pre-Slash, dwsa based
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 04:51:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7561102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippingEverything/pseuds/ShippingEverything
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or: five times Thea and Anna didn't meet and one time they did</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Can't Let You) Pass Me By

**Author's Note:**

> This is gay and its for my dear dear friend @catmillas on twitter ilu zo
> 
> Title from R5's Pass Me By
> 
> Enjoyyy

1.

There's a pretty girl in the Starbucks that Thea walks by every day. _Walks by_ because Hanschen works at a free trade, organic, 100% Deaf-friendly coffee shop only a few blocks away so she and Melitta never stop in, but they always walk past it. The pretty girl has blonde hair and big blue-green eyes and, here's what really drew Thea in, she _signs_. Sometimes she sits at the window with a tall Latino boy and they sign back and forth and Thea doesn't eavesdrop or anything  but the speed with which they communicate suggests fluency or close to it.

Thea doesn't usually do daydreams, but sometimes she'll think about going into the Starbucks and offering to buy pretty blonde girl a drink, maybe sitting down to talk for a bit... but nothing ever comes of it.  
One day, she and Melitta walk by and pretty blonde girl isn't in the window, nor is she the next day or the next day. Eventually Thea stops looking, feeling nothing more than a soft 'What if?'

* * *

 2.

Anna loves her friends, she really does, but when she said she needed support after coming out to her parents she had actually meant _support_ , not a party.

"Isn't this _great_?" Ilse slurs in Anna's ear, leaning onto Anna's chair and with an arm around Anna's shoulder, "This is like, the _best_ gay bar around. I have this friend, Hans Rilow? He's banging the bartender so the bartender's going to bring us free shots!"

"Yay for free shots," Anna says dryly but Ilse is already gone, moved to go talk to the bartender again. Ilse is wasted, Ernst may seem fine but Anna knows him well enough to be able to tell that he's close to his threshold, and she lost Otto in the crowd two rounds ago; none of her friends need any more drinks.

 **"You're too sad,"** Ernst signs, then he shouts, "You just told you're parents that you're a lesbian! Go have fun, drink some free shots, meet a cute girl!"

 **"Do you really think I have time to meet a cute girl?"** Anna signs, followed by a gesture at Ilse, who is currently half-laying on the bar counter and talking to a bemused looking redhead. Ernst winces sympathetically. Ernst offers to look after Ilse, but Anna turns him down, **"It's fine, I'm not really into hookups anyway."**

Ernst puts a supportive hand on her shoulder and then returns to the dance floor. Anna sighs and rolls closer to Ilse.

"Hey, Ilse," She says, and Ilse flings theirself at Anna.

Ilse makes a noise that can only be interpreted as '!!!!!!!!!!!!!' and gestures to the redhead. "Anna! Have you met my new friend? You need to meet my new friend."

The 'new friend' in question laughs and sticks out a hand. "Melitta Rilow, xe-slash-xer, nice to meet you."

"Anna Wheelan, she and her," Anna says, shaking xer hand, "I'm _so_ sorry about Ilse."

"Honestly, its no problem. They're friends with my younger brother and their presence has stopped three people from hitting on me, so I'd say we're good."

Ilse makes a whiny noise, "There was a girl who would've been  _perfect_ for Thea and you scared her away."

"Thea?" Anna asks as Melitta rolls xer eyes.

"My twin sister," Melitta explains, shooting a glare at Ilse, "And she's here right now with her _boyfriend_ , having fun."

Anna furrows her eyebrows. "She's at a gay bar with her boyfriend?"

"They're..." Melitta sighs loudly. "It's complicated. I don't like Rupert, but she keeps telling me to stop worrying about it, so."

Before Anna can ask anything else, something crashes into her chair.

"Fuck, sorry," the person says. She wheels herself around to see a pale, dark-haired person, and they're staring at Melitta. "Melitta, Thea got tripped out on something-"

"You let my baby sister use drugs?" Melitta yells. The person flinches.

"Listen, its not-"

"No, Rupert, you better fucking bring me to my baby sister right now or so help me god, I will destroy you."

The person--Rupert, apparently--flinches again and then gestures to a part of the room. Melitta follows him with only a quick "It was nice to meet you," over her shoulder.

"I hope she's okay," Anna says. The only reply is the booming music of the crowd and a now sleeping Ilse's light snoring.

* * *

3.

Melchior Gabor is a dick, honestly, but he's also an incredibly good lay. Thea thinks about this as she lies on her back in Melchior's ridiculously comfortable bed, having just come down from an orgasm.

" **Your sheets are heavenly,"** She signs when Melchior comes back with a damp washcloth.

" **Thanks, my mom got them.** "

" **You really shouldn't tell people that**."

" **Fuck you** ," Melchior signs, but it lacks heat and is dredged in comfortable familiarity, " **I'm proud of my mom.** "

Thea sits up and shrugs, before signing slightly lecherously, " **I'd be proud if I had a mother like yours, either of them. I mean, talk about MILFs.** "

" _ **Jesus christ!**_ " Melchior hits her in the thigh, " **Don't talk about my moms like that just because you have some weird mommy complex**."

" **First of all, it's a well-known fact that us Rilow have daddy problems, not mommy complexes** ," Thea signs one-handed, wiping her come from off her stomach, **"And _secondly_ \- your phone is going off.**"

Melchior turns around and sees that his phone flashlight is blinking wildly, a sign that he's either getting a call or a text. Melchior turns around to grab his phone and when he clicks on the phone, he looks at the screen with one of the sappiest smiles Thea has ever seen from him. She waves a hand between him and the phone. " **Who is it?** "

" **Oh, just the groupchat for planning Ernst's surprise party. One of Ernst's friends said something funny.** "

Thea looks at him skeptically. She knows that she's good at this, her glare and the way she can bring someone down with a single eyebrow raised in doubt are her best skills, but Melchior has had to deal with this from Thea and her siblings since college, so he stays firm. " _ **Melchior**_ ," She signs empathetically.

Melchior sighs, " **Okay, so, his name is O-T-T-O, Otto, and I met up with him and one of Ernst's other friends for coffee the other day to talk about the party and he was _funny_ and _charming_ and _kind_ , and Moritz already knew him from before and he adores him too, but we don't know if he's into guys or if he'd want to date us and it's _killing me_.** "

This doesn't seem to be a real problem. " **Why don't you just ask?** "

" **What if he's a homophobe and he's offended by the question?** "

" **If he's a homophobe, I'll kick his ass. But I doubt it; have you _met_ your brother?** "

Thea doesn't really know much about Ernst, only that he's Melchior's stepbrother and that he and Hanschen are _'sort of dating'_ because Hanschen thirst-followed him on instagram, but nearly everything about Ernst screams _'I'm not straight!'_.

" **Fair enough, but what if he's not into a poly relationship?** "

" **Then you tried and you have another person to add to the _'People that would date me or Moritz, just not both of us at once'_ list.** " Thea signs. Melchior looks unimpressed. 

" **But-** "

" **No 'but's. Give me your phone.** "

" **What? _No!_** " Melchior signs but he didn't grow up with two nosy and rude siblings so he never learned how to react fast enough to keep stuff away. Thea unlocks it quickly--his password is his birthday--and pulls up the groupchat. Otto's there, of course, and then two people named Anna and Ilse. Thea randomly clicks on Anna's name and types in a text _yo this is melchiors friend and melchior wants to know if ottos into dudes_.

Anna responds quickly, typing back _thank god someone's doing something!!! if i had to witness any more if their awkward flirting i would scream_ , and then, _otto very much likes guys and he very much likes melchior, in case you couldn't guess!!!_

" **He likes you** ," Thea signs to Melchior after she texts Anna back _awesome thanks, what does he think about poly?_ Anna sends back _he said he's not sure but he's not closed off to the idea!_ When Thea finishes texting her thanks, Melchior is glaring at her. " **He's also open to poly. Ask him out.** "

" **Please tell me you didn't ask him all of this**."

" **What do you take me for? I asked one of his friends, Anna.** "

Melchior's face softens. " **Oh, good. Anna's nice. You'd probably like her, you know.** "

" **I'll have to meet her at the party** ," Thea signs, " **When is it again?** "

" **Next weekend**."

Thea blinks, startled. " ** _Fuck_. Me and Hans and Melitta promised douchebag dad we'd be over there on Friday morning, there's no way we'll be able to get back and I'd cancel with dad but-** "

Melchior puts a hand over Thea's hands. " **I get it. Like, my dad's cool, but Ernst's dad does this passive aggressive thing where he invites us to church and shit like that and it sucks, but if you cancel then you lose. I get it. Ernst won't mind, as long as you get him a great present**."

Thea smiles. " ** _Please_ , we only get the best presents**."

* * *

 

4. 

There's someone that's been sitting at the restaurant for three hours. 

" ** _She won't leave!_** " Otto signs, distressed. " **She's in my section and she's been here for _hours_**."

" **Is she ordering?** "

" **Well, yes. She's actually ordering a lot, but,** " Otto flushes, " **I, um, have a date tonight.** "

" **A date?** " Anna signs, raising her eyebrows, " **With?** "

" **Melchior and Moritz. We're just going to the movies but,** " Otto pauses. He looks both terrified and excited, " **Yeah. I wanted extra time to get ready but I can't leave until she does**." 

" **I could go talk to her?** " Anna offers. Shes kind of dead because she took Ernst's shift so he could go out for his first Official Date with Ilse's friend Hans Rilow and her last table just cleared out; she was going to try and get ahead on her studying for this week, but she'd be glad to help her friend. " **Or I could just take the table?** "

" **No, no, its fine,** " Otto signs. " **I think she got stood up? She was glancing at the door a lot when she first came in but she seems kind of sad now.** "

The woman is pretty with olive skin and almond-shaped eyes that Anna can see even from here. She's dressed well and she clearly has a nice body. Anna can't imagine why anyone would stand her up. " **Are you sure?** "

Otto waves her off, " **Just go. I'm fine and more time at home would just make me panic more anyway.** "

Anna times out, drops off her apron, and wheels out the front door. Otto and his customer are signing back and forth now, too fast for Anna to really follow. The woman is smiling, lopsided and excited. Anna truly can't imagine why  _anyone_  would stand a girl like that up.

* * *

5.

Thea hates Starbucks. Okay, that's not true, but she hates having to go to Starbucks because she has to run and meet up with Hanschen on  _last minute notice_ because he "has" to look at engagement rings. Thea has known that Ernst was Hanschen's  _One_ since Hanschen brought him over for dinner the first time, but they've been dating for less than a year and even Melitta, who always loves a good romance story, thinks this is a bit rushed. 

 _you sure you wanna do this?_ She texts Hanschen as she wants in line. His  _Absolutely positive_ is almost instantaneous.  _Well, if he's happy,_ she thinks. When she gets to the front of the line, she hands the cashier the standard "I'm deaf" note plus her order, a triple espresso macchiato with extra foam. She pays and moves over to the side to wait for her drinks, tapping her fingers on her arm impatiently. 

There's no one else nearby that Thea notices, so when the barista puts down a drink, Thea just grabs it and runs out. Its not until she's a block away that she actually takes a sip and realizes that it's not her drink.  _Damn_ , she thinks, glancing at the name on the cup. The--Thea takes another sip, this one more pleasant now that she's not expecting expresso--caramel frappuccino is delicious, exactly what Thea  _really_ needed today, and was meant for a  _Marianna_. 

 _Well,_ Thea thinks, drinking more and juggling out her phone to text Hanschen,  _I hope Marianna doesn't mind too much_.

* * *

1.

Ernst, surprisingly enough, doesn't cry. His fiancé--husband, now--does though, as do 90% of the guests. Anna is his maid of honor and, even though she had watched him rehearse his vows a million times, she sobbed all the way through the ceremony. _He's happy_ , she thinks, smiling to herself. Ernst and Hans had barely been able get through their first dance for grinning and laughing too hard, and now they're giggling and shoving cake in each other's faces. Anna wants something like that; she knows that Ernst has talked her up to at least 6 people here and that he's going to try and throw his bouquet towards her but, despite what Ernst's romance novels will lead him to believe, you just can't rush a romance, and she wouldn't want to anyway.

" **Anna!** " Ernst calls out and signs. Anna wheels closer.

"Anna, we want you to have the second piece," Hans says. Anna is shocked, she hasn't thought that Hans particularly liked her. "This wedding would've been in a muddy field if not for you."

" **I'd marry you anywhere,"** Ernst signs with a sappy grin at Hans. Anna rolls her eyes because while they're adorable and shes happy for her best friend, she also wants cake.

" **Excuse me, you were saying about cake?** "

" **Oh!"** Ernst signs, blushing, " **Sorry, I just- I'm excited. But here!** "

Hans hands her a large piece of their beautiful marble wedding cake and, after congratulating them again, wheels away to leave them to other well wishers and theirselves. Not too long after she gets back to their table, someone drags a chair next to her.

" **Hi** ," They sign. " **Ernst's maid of honor, right?** "

Anna nods. " **You were one of Hans' bridesmaids, nice to meet you. A-N-N-A W-H-E-E-L-A-N, Anna. She, hers. You?** "

" **T-H-E-A R-I-L-O-W, Thea, same pronouns,** " Thea signs, then, " **This is weird, but my brother is being a dick and he won't let me have any cake. Would you mind sharing yours?** "

It is really weird but... Anna looks at Thea. She's pretty and she looks nothing like Hans, which is unsurprising with what Anna's heard about their father, and Anna maybe wants to do something weird for once.

" **Only if you get your own fork. I'm not sharing a fork with you.** " Anna signs, smiling despite herself.

" **Of course.** " Thea smiles, a beautifully slow spreading grin that looks _so familiar_ to Anna, stealing a fork from the place setting next to her. " **You know, Anna, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship**."

**Author's Note:**

> Thea says that but THEYRE GONNA BE GAY
> 
> OKAY NOTES
> 
> \- GREEK-ASIAN MELITTA AND THEA BUT MELITTA STILL BEING A GINGER GIVES ME LIFE also its not mentioned but Hanschen is black and otto is filipino. 
> 
> \- Thea assumes a lot of genders in this based on appearance even though she herself is trans, and that's Not Cool. Don't assume gender kids. 
> 
> \- Melchior and Moritz have an open relationship--sleeping with other people is fine as long as their partner knows and agrees. They both like Otto, so they turn their open relationship into polyamory and they're all very happy
> 
> \- I'm so glad I got this fic out, it took super long for what is basically a bunch of meet-cutes without the meeting, but I hope y'all enjoyed it nonetheless. 
> 
> Comment, kudos, etc
> 
> [Main Tumblr](http://www.liveinlivingcolor.tumblr.com) | [Writing Blog](http://nacreousglowclouds.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](http://twitter.com/squidias)


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